Part 2 ... File 4 of 10

Question 4

What are the harvest times in Israel?

Answer

The agricultural year in Israel begins in
the autumn (after the harvest festival of Tabernacles) with
ploughing and sowing. Harvests in Israel begin in spring in the
month of Adar (February/March). The following harvest times
in ancient Israel are obtained from the Readers Digest book
entitled Jesus and His Times, pages 100-101.

Months

Weather

Crops & activity

Tishri (Sep/Oct)

First rains

Ploughing begins

Heshvan (Oct/Nov)

Ploughing / grain planting

Kislev (Nov/Dec)

Grain planting continues

Tebeth (Dec/Jan)

Main rains

Sebat (Jan/Feb)

Adar (Feb/Mar)

Spring rains

Almond in bloom / flax harvest

Abib (Mar/Apr)

Barley harvest begins

Zif (Apr/May)

Barley harvest completed

Sivan (May/Jun)

Dry season

Wheat harvest begins

Tamuz (Jun/Jul)

Wheat harvest completed / first figs

Ab (Jul/Aug)

Summer heat

Vintage (grape harvest) begins

Elul (Aug/Sep)

Date harvest / summer figs

From the above, one can see that the harvest season in ancient
Israel began in Adar (Feb/March) and continued by stages into
autumn. The barley harvest began in March-April: the first sheaf
being cut and waived in the middle of Abib, which could be
any time between 21st March and the middle of April. It is the
same in modern Israel. Concerning the wheat and grape
harvests, the Westminster Dictionary of the Bible says
this:

"In Palestine wheat was sown in November or December,
after the rains began. The harvest was in April, May or June in
Palestine varying according to the locality and the weather at
the time." (page 635)

"The vintage began in the middle of September and continued
into October. It was a season of festivity. In the vineyards there
were singing and joyful noise, and the treaders in the press kept
time by shouting as they trod the grapes. (page 629)

These details concerning harvest times in Israel are vital when
determining the start of a year in the sacred calendar and the
sacred Festivals in it. The answer to the next question will clarify
this point further.